Cards issued for identification purposes and for the extension of credit which are used when making purchases include such diverse items as driver's licenses, identification cards, credit cards and the like are conventionally manufactured of laminated layers of plastic. Photographs, photographic images and other identifying data are frequently applied to one or both faces of such cards. It is often desirable to provide a protective film over the identifying data, photograph or photographic image to protect against damage and wear, to add flexural strength to the card and to add resistance to cracking which can be caused by low temperatures. It is also important that the protective film be easily and accurately applied to one or more faces of a card by relatively unskilled labor.
Therefore, an object of this invention is a method of precisely positioning and attaching a protective film layer to one or more faces of a preformed, generally rectangular, plastic card.
Another object of this invention is a carrier strip for applying such a film to one or more faces of a prelaminated plastic card.
Another object of this invention is a precise positioning means to locate the protective film through the use of an embossment formed in a carrier which supports the film.
Another object of this invention is a carrier for a protective film having an embossment which engages the edges of a thick identification type card to precisely position the film relative to the face of the card.
Another object of this invention is a film positioning apparatus which can be easily removed after lamination.
Other objects of the invention will become apparent in the following specification, claims and drawings.